The most common flowers that are appropriate for a funeral are carnations, lilies, roses, tulips, and orchids.
These are specific flowers for funerals because they symbolize different meanings.
As roses come in different colours, they also carry different meanings. White roses are common in funerals as they show hope, purity, and heaven.
Red roses express courage as well as love.
White tulips represent heaven and eternity, where red tulips are for expressing deep love.
Orchids usually represent eternal love, and that is the reason why orchids are common at funerals. A white or pink orchid also shows sympathy which serves a high purpose at a funeral.
You can also use carnations – both white and red – as a symbol of admiration and remembrance.
*Attributed to Debbie Summers from her article “How to Make Funeral Flower Arrangement in 7 Simple Steps”